Electric railway.



PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908. G. VON GIZINSKY 6r, W. MUGLURE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 19, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. y

W .7K9 Zara UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

OASIMIR VON GIZINSKY AND WILLIAM MCOLURE, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OAsIMIR VON GIZIN- sKY and WILLIAM MCOLURE,citizens of the United States, residing at Schenectady, in the county ofSchenectady and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Im*provement in Electrical Railways, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an electric railway construction and moreespecially to a third rail system in which the third rail is formed inshort sections, each section being of a length not exceeding the-lengthof a motor car, the said sections being brought into electrical circuitonly as they are reached by the car, and cut out of circuit as the carleaves them, thereby avoiding the danger attendant upon the use of theordinary form of third rail.

The invention consists of a sectional third rail the various sectionsbeing held normally out of engagement with certain contact posts, of thecontact posts arranged beneath said sectional rail, the said posts beingin an electrical circuit and means carried by a car for forciblydepressing in succession the various sections of the rail as the carmoves along, thereby bringing the sections successively into theelectricalfcircuit and supplying current to the car motor.

In the drawings forming a part of this speciiication: Figure l is alongitudinal sectional view taken through the track, a portion of thecar wheels being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevationof a bracket and trolley wheel carried beneath the car, a casing beingshown in section. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, certain collector brushes beingremoved. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken through thetrack, parts being shown broken away, and also in elevation. Figs. 6 and7 are sections upon the lines 6 6 and 7 7 respectively, of Fig. 5. Fig.8 is a plan viewlof a conduit with the sectional rail and coperatingparts removed. Fig. 9 is a plan view of a frame carried by a car. Fig.10 is an end view of said frame.

In these drawings A represents a conduit U-shaped in cross-section whichis laced between the track rails and in which is arranged a conductorbar B of any suitable electrical conducting material which bar isinsulated from the conduit A by means of insulating material O of anydesired kind.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led December 19, 1906.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Serial No. 348,655.

Suitable upright posts D also of conducting material have their lowerend portions threaded into the conducting bar-B and'these posts areplaced throughout the length ofthe conduit at certain desired intervalsapart. Each post D is insulated by means of a sleeve E which is providedat its upper end with an enlarged head E. We also place in the conduitand about midway its depth a protecting cover F which is supported bysuitable tracks F, which cover is suitably perforated to receive thepost D and the sleeves E, the heads E of the sleeves bearing upon thesaid cover, and the marginal portions of the cover are preferablyinclined downwardly as shown most clearly in Figs. 6 and 7. Above thiscovering theinner walls of the conduit are also provided with anysuitable insulated lining Upon the upper end of each post D is securedmetal contact strip, the said strip being held by a suitable screw orbeing otherwise firmly connected to the post. In between the posts D weplace upon the insulation@ which surrounds the conductor bar B, anupwardly open -socket H in which works verticallythe lower end of asupporting standard H.

The standard H is provided at its upper end with a head H2 and .a collarspring H3 encircles each of said standards and bears upon the heads H2and upon the upper edges of the socket H, normally holding the saidstandards in an elevated position. The standards H are inclosed insuitable insulating sleeves J which are substantially the same as thesleeve E.

A sectional third rail K is provided along its opposite side edges withdepending guideflanges K. This rail is formed in sections preferably ofa less length than the cars to be operated and the sections aresupported normally by the standards H.

It will be obvious from the above construction that as long as thesections K are maintained in an elevated position and out of contactwith the strips G, they will be out of circuit as the standards H areinsulated from the conductor bar B. However, when one of said sectionsof the rail K is depressed and comes into contact with the strips H, thesections so depressed will be thrown into circuit with the conductor barB, and it will be noted from Fig. 5 that the sections K are insulatedfrom each other by a suitable air gap. In order to depress thesesections at the proper time, we provide upon the bottom of the motorcars a suitable Jframe L which is slotted adjacent one end as shown at Land which at its opposite end carries a metal bail L2 in which is heldan end portion of a block M, the other end portion of the block beingheld to the frame L by a suitable bolt, provided with the usual nut andwasher, which bolt works through the slot L. The block M is providedwith a plurality of downwardly open sockets M lined with suitableinsulating material and is also provided with bolt openingscommunicating with said sockets, and bolts M2 work through said socketsand openings and coil springs M3 are partially seated in the sockets andencircle the bolts M2. It will be obvious from Fig. 2 that the tendencyof these springs bearing downwardly upon the bolt heads will be to forcethe said heads as far below the block M as will be permitted by nutsthreaded upon the upper end of the bolts.

The bolts M3 carry a pivoted bracket N in which is journaled a wheel Iand the bracket also carries suitable collector brushes O from whichlead circuit wires O2. The wheel I forms a trolley wheel which runs uponthe sectional rail K and the brushes O collect current from said wheeland convey it to the wires O2 which lead to the motor, and throughelectrical devices carried by the cars.

The operation of the construction above described has already beenoutlined and it will be obvious that the downward pressure of thesprings M3 will force the bracket N downwardly and the wheel O as itpasses upon a section of the rail K will depress said section and thusplace it in the electrical circuit of which the bar B is a part and acircuit will be established from said bar through the post D, strips G,wheel O, brushes O and wires O2 to the electrical devices upon the car..As the car moves along the track one section after the other of therail K will be depressed and brought into the circuit. As the wheel Oleaves the section, it will be lifted again by the springs H and be cutout of the circuit, thus rendering it harmless as a third rail, andavoiding the dangers consequent upon the use of a third rail which iselectrified throughout its entire length.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A device of the kind described consisting of a conduit, an insulatedconducting bar arranged therein, upright posts of conducting materialthreaded into said bar, an insulating sleeve on each post, a coverprovided With openings to receive the posts and sleeves, the walls ofthe conduit being insulated above the said cover, upwardly open socketsarranged between the posts and insulated from the bar, standards workingin said sockets, springs for holding said standards in an elevatedposition, a sectional third-rail, iianged on each side, said sectionsbeing normally supported by the standards, and means carried by a carfor depressing the rail sections, as and for the purpose set forth.

CASIMIR VON GIZINSKY. WILLIAM MCCLURE.

Witnesses:

ELIHU CURTIs TELLER, AMIL M. FRANcHoIs.

